Denture stabilizer



Nov. 9, 1965 o. M. SINK DENTURE STABILIZER Filed May 10, 1962 Ofhe/ M Sink 1N VENTOR.

United States Patent 3,216,111 DENTURE STABILIZER Othel M. Sink, 1034 Palermo Drive, Santa Barbara, Calif. Filed May 10, 1962, Ser. No. 193,810 1 Claim. (Cl. 325) The present invention generally relates to novel improvements in partial dentures and the like and more particularly to a novel manner of stabilizing such dentures in a desired position relative to natural teeth.

Many attempts have been made to provide adequate replacement for natural teeth, such devices usually including a dental prosthesis in the form of artificial teeth carried by a foundation structure such as acrylic saddles and palates. One of the major problems existent in this field is the inadequate means provided for anchoring the prosthesis or denture to the natural teeth which will not only retain the denture or prosthesis in proper position during normal usage but also will enable ready removal thereof for cleaning, maintenance and the like. Therefore, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved stabilizer structure for dentures which not only will firmly retain the denture in position during use thereof but also enable ready removal thereof when desired.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a denture stabilizer which will be concealed when in use thereby eliminating unsightliness and also such concealment will eliminate any tendency of irritation to the gum tissue or tongue which quite often is caused by engagement of the tongue with projecting screws, clamps and the like.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a denture stabilizer having a spring-biased ball detent anchoring structure which provides rolling contact with a stationary natural tooth or a crown or inlay attached to a natural tooth thus reducing friction when inserting and removing the denture thus reducing the effort required for inserting and removing the denture and also causing less damage to the surface of the natural tooth or crown on the natural tooth since the hearing or ball detent will rollingly engage the surface instead of dragging over it.

Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a denture stabilizer which is simple in construction, secure in anchoring the denture in place, substantially concealed, dependable and long lasting and generally inexpensive to manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the denture stabilizer of the present invention incorporated into a denture and illustrating the relationship thereof to a pair of adjacent natural teeth;

FIGURE 2 is a detailed sectional view taken longitudinally through the denture stabilizer upon an enlarged scale and illustrating the relationship of the artificial tooth to a natural tooth having a dimple or socket incorporated therein;

FIGURES 3a-3e are view's illustrating various configurations of the denture stabilizer;

FIGURE 4 is a partial perspective view illustrating the use of a crown with the dimple or socket incorporated therein; and

FIGURE 5 is a detailed vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 5-5 of FIGURE 4 illustrating the construction of the crown and the relationship of the dimple therein and the relationship of the artificial tooth to the natural tooth.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the present invention is illustrated in association with a pair of spaced natural teeth 12 and 14 and the denture is generally designated by numeral 16 which includes a pair of artificial teeth 18 and 20 and a saddle 22 of suitable acrylic material having a color generally simulating the color of the natural gum 24. In transverse cross-sectional configuration, the shape of the saddle 22 also approximates the shape of the gum for fitting comfortably over the gum. The edges of the saddle 22 are rounded as at 24 to eliminate sharp edges which the tongue can contact and also eliminate sharp edges that would possibly irritate gum tissues. It is understood that the denture 16 is made in a conventional manner and, of course, must be constructed to conform with the individual configuration of the gum contour and the like.

As illustrated in FIGURE 2, the artificial tooth 20 has the denture stabilizer of the present invention incorporated therein and the stabilizer is generally designated by numeral 26 and includes a tubular sleeve 28 disposed in a corresponding cavity 30 in the artificial tooth 20. The rear of the sleeve 28 is fixedly secured to a generally L- shaped anchor strip or tail 32, see FIGURE 3a, which is solid, flat and tapered at the end and is embedded in the artificial tooth and also in the saddle or palate 22. Also, the end of the sleeve 28 is received in a socket formed by a cylindrical projection 34 on the anchor strip or tail 32 which also forms a bottom for a compression coil spring 36 received in the sleeve 28. The outer end of the spring 36 reduces in diameter to the end convolution 38 which engages a partial spherical seat 40 in engagement with a portion of the periphery of a spherical ball 42. The ball 42 is retained in assembled relation in the sleeve 28 by a cap 44 in screw threaded engagement with the sleeve 28 and having an aperture 46 engaging the periphery of the ball 42 outwardly of the transverse diametric center of the ball so that the ball 42 will be retained against the seat 40 with a portion of the periphery thereof projecting outwardly beyond the cap 44. As illustrated in FIGURE 2, the surface of the cap 44 is fiush with the surface of the artificial tooth 20 with only the portion of the ball detent or spherical ball 42 projecting outwardly beyond the surface. When inward pressure is exerted on the ball detent 42, it merely partially compresses the spring 36 and moves back into the hollow interior of the sleeve 28 sufiicient that the periphery of the ball 42 is substantially flush with the external surface of the artificial tooth 20 and the cap 44.

As illustrated in FIGURES 3a3e, the denture anchor or stabilizer generally designated by numeral 26 may take various shapes, configurations and sizes. For example, the topmost stabilizer in FIGURE 3a is the same as that shown in FIGURE 2 and is designated by numeral 26. The second stabilizer illustrated in FIGURE 31) is designated by numeral 48 and is substantially Y- shaped in that the tail 50 thereof which serves as an anchor is divided into two branches 52 each of which has a ball detent 54 mounted thereon. The third stabilizer, see FIGURE 3c generally designated by numeral 56 has an anchor tail 58 which is straight, fiat and tapered at the end as are all of the anchor tails. The denture stabilizer generally designated by numeral 60 in FIGURE 30. has an anchor tail 62 which is angular in configuration while the stabilizer generally designated by numeral 64 in FIGURE 3e has an anchor strip or tail 66 which is curved in generally ogee configuration. These various shapes and sizes of anchor tails or strips may be used in various upper and lower partial dentures at various angles. Each shape consists of a head containing the mechanical parts of the ball detent, spring and cap and the anchor tail or strip may be any shape, size, configuration and the like.

The spring 36 is constructed of suitable spring steel and the ball and cap are also constructed of steel and stabilizer can be set in place and then soldered to the framework before the acrylic saddles are added or the denture stabilizer can be held in place with denture materials.

As illustrated in FIGURE 2, the stabilizer must engage a socket or pocket in the natural tooth 14 for receiving the ball 42. This is in the form of a dimple or socket 68 embedded in the natural tooth and including a partial spherical recess or socket 70 in the outer face thereof which has a radius equal to the radius of the spherical ball 42 and which will snugly receive the ball 42 and retain the artificial tooth 20 in alignment with the natural tooth 14. Due to the curvature of the recess or socket 40 and the ball 42 which curvatures are of the same radius, the spring 36 will serve to securely anchor the teeth 14 and 20 in alignment since the spring 36 will normally urge the ball 42 into full contact With the surface of the recess 70. The dimple cup or socket 68 may be constructed of any suitable material such as gold or the like and may be cemented in place by the dentist after the natural tooth has been provided with a recess or socket sufiiciently large to receive the dimple cup 68. Of course, the dimple cup 68 disposed in the natural tooth is normally disposed adjacent the base thereof so that it is substantially concealed even if the denture 16 is removed. Further, the gold dimple cup 68 may be placed in various positions on the natural tooth including various orientations on the lingual surface of the natural teeth.

FIGURES 4 and 5 illustrate an arrangement in which the natural tooth 12 is provided with a crown 72 whereby the crown 72 may be provided with the dimple cup 74 equivalent to the dimple cup 68. This enables a crown to be placed on the natural tooth and the dimple cup 74 added thereto by cementing or the like thereby eliminating the necessity for forming a recess or socket in the natural tooth for receiving the dimple cup. The crown 72 is attached to the natural tooth 12 in any conventional manner and the artificial tooth 18 associated therewith has the denture stabilizer 26 incorporated therein for association with the dimple cup 74 in the same manner as in association with the dimple cup 68.

The size of the stabilizer, of course, is variable but an acceptable size has been one in which the stabilizer is approximately 2 millimeters in diameter with the length varying from 5 millimeters to 20 millimeters as necessary for adequate retention in inserting into the metal framework or into the acrylic material. The stabilizer can be used to hold old denture partials where clasps have been broken off. The crowns of the teeth will be maintained parallel so that when the denture is going into place, the steel ball will recede back into the steel cap and when the denture is seated, the steel ball will extend out again and will fit into the dimple cup which has been previously attached to the crown or inlay or mounted on the natural tooth.

Also, it is borne in mind that most new dentures have a projection 76 with a depending dowel 78 thereon received in recesses 80 in each gold veneer crown, acrylic or porcelain facing thus further stabilizing the denture.

The ball detent forms a bearing which will roll into position with greater ease and less friction thus lessening damage to the surface of the tooth or crown due to this rolling contact. Also due to less friction, the parts are long lasting and will not Wear out as readily and less force is required to insert and remove the denture.

The denture stabilizers of the present invention are quite easily cleaned and the anchoring tails or strips employed provide a firmer and better grip in the denture material especially when embedded in acrylic saddles and palates of dentures. The different shapes will enable adequate support in various angles to give proper stability and retention from the lingual surface of the teeth. Additionally, the denture stabilizers may be used as stress breakers and in many cases, lingual clasps or clamps need not be used as required in many installations with previously known denture assemblies. In addition to the foregoing, there will be no visible screw or metal showing that will have a tendency to irritate the gum tissue or tongue and which is, in addition, unsightly. This structure is quite flexible in its use since it may be used in new dentures and also in rebuilding and remaking old dentures in a more expeditious and economical manner. The gold dimple cup may be used on the lingual part of any tooth and this definitely stabilizes the partial denture from shifting forward, backward, up or down. The gold dimple cup may be used when no gold crown or inlay or other preparation has been made and this arrangement involves the attachment of the dimple cup into the natural tooth.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A denture assembly comprising an artificial denture and including a socket adapted to be mounted on a natural tooth and a spring detent retaining means mounted in an artificial tooth on said artificial denture, said detent retaining means including a cylindrical casing having a cap thereon, a spring in said casing, said cap having an aperture therein, a ball received in the casing and having a portion thereof projecting through the cap and engaged by the spring for urging the ball out ward-1y of the cap, said cap retaining the ball rollingly so that it will roll along the surface of the natural tooth and be engaged with the socket without dragging across the surface of the natural tooth, said artificial denture including projections with depending dowels thereon adapted to be received in recesses in the natural teeth for further stabilizing said artificial denture.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 83 2,528 10/ 06 Bennett 32-5 1,450,012 3/23 Weinstein 325 2,593,287 4/52 Fiorentini 32-5 FOREIGN PATENTS 984,623 2/5 1 France.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT E. MORGAN, RICHARD A. GAUDET,

Examiners. 

